Al, the ball is a separate piece. I recessed it slightly into a depression made with a countersink bit before gluing it into place. And, yes, the handle was cut from the same piece of wood from which the top was cut.

Finally, I will mention that this is the first box I have made that has tapered sides. I was really apprehensive about trimming down the sides on the table saw with the blade cranked up to the max, which is the way I have seen the process described by others. All of that exposed spinning steel freaks me out, especially on a small workpiece like this! So I decided to try to cut the side tapers on my band saw. Worked beautifully and I was perfectly relaxed during the process.